RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed Republican legislation aimed at giving lawmakers a greater say in how the state carries out new federal pollution rules.
The governor announced Wednesday he'd vetoed legislation that would have required the GOP-controlled General Assembly to sign off on how Virginia implements the Clean Power Plan.
McAuliffe said the legislation would create "an impermissible breach of Virginia's constitutional separation of powers."
GOP lawmakers have said they need oversight of how the state plans to cut carbon emissions in order to protect Virginia's economy, particularly its coal mining industry in Southwest Virginia.
